The end of the innocence
by mixx
Summary: A trip through Marauder era and into Harry Potter's time by a misunderstood boy is quite devastating. Not your typical idea of Severus Snape's life. Who knew he was once as innocent, and maybe more than the famous and heroic Harry Potter?
1. Chapter One: Genesis of a Hogwarts stude

End of the innocence  
Chapter One: Genesis of a Hogwarts student  
  
The hot summer sun revealed a quiet forest full of a mix of both deciduous and pine trees everywhere, providing the earth below cool and comforting shade despite the excessively warm temperature of the air. Among this quiet setting, a young boy in his upper single-digit age rested against a fallen tree. His mind was noticeably occupied, entranced by a random beetle that happened to crawl by his ear just after he had settled down. The untainted wonder that occupied his face wouldn't be there for long, for this wasn't an ordinary boy.  
He eventually received two odd letters addressed to him as his day progressed on the peaceful forest floor. They surprised him, since they seemed to drop right out of the sky and somehow land in his lap despite the usual dizzy course of falling for most paper. The first envelope was made from a thick and heavy parchment type of paper and therefore, he analyzed, it wasn't a normal letter from anywhere nearby. It was sealed with red wax, which wasn't out of the ordinary because at the time of his early childhood, self-adhesive envelopes had just become available. However, they proved unworthy of the hassle that came with handling them. The stamp embedded in the wax was quite strange however. The first thing he noticed was a bold "H" and he didn't know anybody or anything who's initial was just "H".   
Curiosity got the best of him and he opened the letter. The penmanship was written elegantly in a dark shade of green, which appealed to him immediately. It was indeed the type of print he'd hope to achieve sometime but he thought petty future ambitions weren't really the things he should be thinking about at the moment. He had something more interesting in his hands.   
  
Dear Mr. Snape,  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.   
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl response by no later than July 31.  
Respectfully yours,  
  
Cybele Curtrell   
Deputy Headmistress  
  
Total confusion swept over him like the tide coming in from the sea. Witchcraft and Wizardry...people were accused of that not too long ago. Severus had picked up on a few things about a witch-hunt that happened a little over a century ago. Several women were hanged and he suspected that they were all falsely accused. He would've loved to sit in at a trial so he could witness what might've possessed people back then to think a *woman* (or any man for that matter) could cause natural mishaps just by a flick of her hand or some kind of rubbish like that.   
And then the fact that he'd been accepted to a school that taught people...magic. The idea was just absurd and he would've tossed the mysterious letter right at that moment...however, he had also received a second letter similar to it. And then despite the fact the envelope was made with the same type of heavy and thick paper, the seal was black with the significant letter a "D". Severus didn't know anyone with an initial of simply "D" but he suspected that it was an initial of another school. He opened it up and found that indeed it was. However, the penmanship was less graceful than the previous one, more harsh and scratchy in dark blue ink.   
  
Dear Mr. Severus Snape,  
You have been accepted to attend the Durmstrang Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of supplies and textbooks you will need for the upcoming year.   
Start of term is September 1. We request that you respond as soon as possible. Submissions will not be accepted after August 1.   
With all due respect,  
  
Walt Killen  
Department of student recruitment  
  
Severus became quite bewildered and skeptical. He started to wonder if this was some random kid's prank. However, a kid couldn't write the first one if their life depended on it, he reasoned, and nobody lived anywhere near him anyway. So he made his way back to the house with the letters to show his parents. They wouldn't appreciate it if he just suddenly took off for some unheard of school right before his current school started.  
Speaking of unheard of...Severus noticed that there was no return address or an address on any of the documents for the schools. It would be impossible to mail something back to a nonexistent place. He sighed with no desire to think about it at the moment as he pushed open the back door and into the kitchen.   
His mother regarded him with a strange look when he handed her the envelopes. She read through both letters quite quickly and had a faint look of surprise after she did so. "Where'd you get these?" she calmly asked without betraying any of her emotion as she did so.  
"They fell on my lap while I was out," he replied quite truthfully enough.   
She continued to study them quietly, for what, Severus did not know. Then her mouth sort of twitched into a small smile. "Congratulations," she said quietly.   
Severus was truly confused now. "For what? I've never heard of Hogwarts or Durmstrang and I certainly do not perform any form of wizardry---"  
"That's what you believe," his mother interrupted gently. "You have had magic ability all your life. The environment that surrounded you as you grew up told you otherwise. You believed there was a logical explanation other than *magic* behind all those strange incidents around you. My dear son, you are in fact, a wizard."  
The speech didn't sound at all like the woman that had raised him for nine years. "That makes you...a witch?" His mother nodded in confirmation. "And then father...a wizard?" Another nod. Severus still found himself slightly disbelieving. "And you never told me?"   
"We'd prefer you didn't take advantage of anything too...soon," she said thoughtfully. "If you knew you had magic as a child, you might've abused them a little---we didn't want to risk it so you could take full advantage of it later on," she added quickly when she saw the scowl on his face. "If you abuse your magical powers in your childhood, it would be harder to get into a good school."  
Severus thought for a moment. "So which one will I go to?" he softly asked.  
His mother hesitated, again something that she normally didn't visibly react with. She was a strong woman after all. "Your father and I will discuss that tonight. With your best interests in mind of course." With that, she closed the topic off from further discussion with a request to help her with dinner.  
  
~  
  
Severus was in his bed by the time his father returned home that night. He was told that his father was a lawyer but ever since the brief and rather shallow education of family history earlier that afternoon, he was starting to doubt that a lawyer was his father's real occupation. Nonetheless, he accepted it for the better. He figured that in the end he'd want to be able to master his magical skills rather than be deprived for just performing a few magic tricks as a child.   
He could hear his mother talking from downstairs. Severus figured she was telling him about his letters. He couldn't exactly hear what they were saying so he was about to stop trying and go to sleep when he heard his father bark out something in apparent disagreement. This got Severus's attention and drove him out of bed and into the hall.   
"---But Hogwarts has a magnificent potion's professor," he heard his mother say. "And they are known for offering an excellent arithmancy course as well.   
"I will not have my son go to some dump in Britain just to learn potions and arthmancy!"  
"And Severus will not go to Durmstrang just to learn dark magic. If you haven't noticed, Severus is very interested and talented at chemistry. It's the muggle equivalent to potions and Hogwarts would fulfill that interest in a way Durmstrang can't."  
The person in question was at the end of the hall by now. He sat with a slightly obscured view of his father and perfect sight of his mother. His mother didn't look at all happy anymore. Her eyes were stern and solid. His father seemed just as unmoving.  
"How else do you think he'll survive in this world---"  
"Dark magic will only make his life harder. You, of all people, should know that."  
His father was silent, unable to fire a retort back.   
"Hogwarts is safe. Professor Dumbledore is the headmaster there now. He will make sure no harm will come to him," his mother said firmly, taking advantage of their quiet moment.   
His father let off a sigh of resignation and gestured at the letters. "Fine, I'll write back to Hogwarts in the morning."  
Severus crept away as soon as he heard that. So he was going to Hogwarts. Not like he could know the difference anyway.  
  
~  
  
Quite faster than what Severus believed to be the normal speed of time, he was boarding this long and brightly colored train. His mother saw him off. His father claimed that he had something to cover at the office and disappeared before Severus was even up that morning as usual. Which left Severus in a slightly foul mood.   
The boarding platform for the train was full of kids and teenagers with their families. He weaved through them quickly to keep up with his mother, who guided him to a door and helped him get his stuff on the train. His stuff resembled the baggage of many other students: a trunk and a cage. The cage held a medium-sized coal black owl that he decided to name Ebony. Having quite a struggle wrestling both his trunk and his cage down the corridor of the train, he finally settled in the compartment at the back and hoped no one else would want to join him. Through the window, he saw his mother blow him a kiss and then disappear amongst the many crowding people.  
After a while, the train's whistle sounded in its first warning. The kids still on the platform said their last goodbyes and gradually made their way onto the train. Severus could hear the hustling and bustling in the corridor of his car. Compartment doors opened and closed up and down the hall. He heard the one next to him become occupied and silently wished that no one come further.  
His wishes went unanswered however. Right after the second warning, the door slid open revealing four boys slightly older than him. The brown-haired one glanced at him with annoyance. "Someone took our compartment," he told the other three.  
"Get out," a second commanded coldly. "You took our compartment."  
Severus coolly regarded them. "I was here first," he replied.  
One of the boys in the back burst forward. "He said get out," he growled.  
"Shut up, Goyle," the second boy, who's pale blond hair contrasted from the others a great deal, muttered and pushed him back behind him again. "We were here first," he continued to explain with a matter-of-fact tone. "This was our compartment last year...and the year before that."  
"That *was* last year---and the year before that," Severus flatly responded. "For some reason, I don't think merely occupying a compartment for two years in a row claims ownership of something. What about the people who occupied it before you?"  
The two guys in the back snickered and brown-haired boy smirked with amusement. "You don't understand," he said slyly. "There are no previous occupiers. This train is only two years old."  
Severus stared at them. "I'm not leaving."  
Goyle in the back looked about ready to push through again with a warning of a growl, but the blond boy rolled his eyes and told him to quit being a pain. "Fine then," the blond boy directed his attention momentarily at Severus, dragged his stuff in and sat down. The other three boys copied them, although with less contentment.  
Severus ignored them, easier with the seat next to him left empty, and pulled out a potions book his mother had bought for him when shopping for school supplies.   
"So you're into potions," the blond boy observed from the seat across from him. "So is Shawn here," he motioned toward the brown-haired boy, "I think you two should get to know each other. Shawn is a fifth year. He could tell you a lot about Professor Figg."  
"Professor...Figg?"  
"The potions teacher. She's quite talented really; an excellent Slytherin role model."  
"Slytherin?"  
"Oh boy, don't tell me you don't know about the houses."  
"What houses?"  
The blond boy sighed along with Shawn. "Listen," the blond boy spoke with a hushed tone despite the privacy that the compartment offered, "there are four houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin are their names. Gryffindor is where all the so-called brave people go to...goody-goodies is all they are if you ask me. Hufflepuff are the stupid and cowardly people. Ravenclaw are all the stuck up and smart people. Slytherin---" he paused dramatically and swept an arm around the room, "is who you're looking at."  
Severus glanced around the room. He was about to make a sarcastic comment but bit his tongue and held it back. "So I suppose you're going to tell me that Slytherin is the best bet," he concluded.  
"Exactly," the blond boy agreed. He leaned forward. "You're pretty smart for a first year...although quite uneducated about the Hogwarts life. How about I help you around with that." He extended a hand toward him and waited until Severus's tentative hand lightly grasped it. "Lucius Malfoy," he proffered.  
"Severus Snape."  
Shawn gaped and Lucius supported a shocked expression, even if it was only for a split second. Goyle and the fourth boy both looked confused. "Severus Snape," Lucius repeated, seemingly racking his memory for something. "If I can calculate correctly, my father told me you're only eight years old."  
"Actually, I'm nine," Severus irritably muttered.  
All four boys were staring at him as if he had just grown a long furry tail and a big purple nose.   
"What are you staring at," Severus quietly demanded.  
"You're nine years old and you're coming to Hogwarts?"  
"Why, where else would this train be going?"  
"But you're only nine!" Shawn exclaimed.  
"I received a letter."  
Lucius stopped his friends from their comments for a second. "You don't know anything, do you?" he asked warily with a tinge of annoyance. "Students start at Hogwarts when they're *eleven*. In fact, most wizarding schools accept their students in their eleventh year of age." Lucius frowned. "The only school that I can think of that doesn't do that is Durmstrang and they accept students at age..." suspicious pause, "...nine. Are you sure you didn't receive an invitation for Durmstrang?"  
"I received letters from both."  
Shawn almost fell off the chair in surprise. Both Goyle and the fourth guy goggled at him and Lucius looked quite jealous now. "My father tried to get me into Durmstrang," he said bitterly, "they didn't accept me."  
"They don't know what they're missing out on," the fourth boy politely commented.   
"Shut up, Crabbe."  
"You chose Hogwarts over Durmstrang??" Shawn was still getting over the fact that somebody was offered a spot in each school and had happily skipped off to Hogwarts.   
"I'm hearing that the potions professor is really good," he said simply.  
That got Shawn over his moment of surprise and he started talking about Professor Figg and the many aspects of the art of potions that had even Lucius bored. However, Severus was quite fascinated and listened to his ranting all through the trip. He was quite disappointed when he noticed that they had stopped next to another station.  
  
~  
  
He found with disgust and without surprise that he was the shortest kid in his year. Everyone else in his year not only noticed this, but he found that a disturbing number of girls were whispering back and forth to one another and pointing at him. He had no idea whether this was good or bad, but according to Severus's standard, any special attention was bad, bad, bad.   
A woman was standing before him in silk navy blue robes that somehow complemented her dark hair. Her eyes were skimming the group taking a cursory head count while her hands deftly adjust her pointed hair on her head. She met his gaze once, most likely by random chance, and then proceeded to lead them into the Great Hall.   
The Great Hall had Severus in awe. It was massive, decorated in four different segments. By house, Severus had guessed and would later find correct. The ceiling was hung with banners and streamers. Red and gold stood boldly at their far left, yellow and black in a section next to it in between an explosion of blue and bronze and then green and silver elaborated the far right.  
Straight ahead was another table, a thin man with wavy brown hair sat calmly in the direct middle watching their procession walk towards his table. Several grown men and women sat along the table with a couple of empty spots here and there. Ghosts wove in and among the tables adding excitement in the atmosphere. Severus saw Lucius at the table at the far right. He nodded in acknowledgement and Lucius just returned it with a self-assured smirk. Shawn was waving at him until someone told him to stop being childish.  
The woman stopped them in front of this stool with a funny dull grey pointed hat sitting on it. She introduced herself as Cybele Curtrell and did a small reassuring speech about the hat. As if on cue, a rip in the hat opened up and chanted a lengthy poem (unless someone *must* a have poem inserted here, I won't take time and space to write one) before remaining still again. Then Cybele pulled out a big scroll and the sorting began.  
"Adderly, Celeste" was first and pronounced a Hufflepuff...and then Severus sort of zoned out after that. Shawn's spiel about potions on the train was still fresh in his mind and he was in the last half of the alphabet anyway. "Ryson, Narcissa" got his attention again when she was sorted into Gryffindor, followed by "Seedar, Phillip."  
"Snape, Severus." The hall went suddenly quiet as Severus walked up to the stool and sat down. He saw the old lady at the far end of the table exchange looks with the thin man in the middle before turning around and having the hat drop over his eyes.  
A small voice marked its presence in his head as soon as the hat landed on his head. "Hm...this one will be difficult..." he heard it say. "Oh yes, intelligence is definitely a strong trait. Perhaps Ravenclaw would satisfy your tastes..."  
"No!" he frantically thought before realizing he had done so.  
"---But you seem to crave more. Maybe Gryffindor could benefit your curiosity..."  
"Slytherin...Slytherin...please Slytherin..."  
"No, not Gryffindor...I guess I've got to put you in---SLYTHERIN!"  
Severus exhaled a long abated breath. For a moment, he thought the hat was going to declare him a Hufflepuff. Then what would Lucius have thought? But he quickly realized that the word shouted out to the rest of the hall noted him as a Slytherin and he wandered to the seat Lucius preserved for him after the hat was taken off of him.  
"So you're a proud Slytherin now," Lucius lazily commented with a sly smirk. "Congratulations. I believe you'll be a valuable addition to the Slytherin dorms."  
Severus regarded him with a silent gaze as the Sorting Ceremony ended with a girl being sent to Gryffindor. He cursed himself for relying on Lucius's opinion so much, but that was the most acceptance outside of family that he'd received in his life. It's not like he was constantly harassed in school back at home, but he was ignored by his peers. And now...Lucius seemed to appreciate his bright mind. Severus smirked in satisfaction as the food appeared on their plates succeeding the solemn speech Dumbledore had made.  
  
~  
  
She felt her heart pump faster as adrenaline rushed through her veins. The whisper of soft black hair made it skip a beat, piercing and alert black eyes stole her breath, the air of confidence hovered around him like a cloak in the winter. A lot of the other girls seemed to be having the same complications Narcissa noticed. There was no mistaking it. Severus Snape had just entered the room.   
Closely associated with Lucius Malfoy, one was led to believe that the girls adored him just to get to Lucius. And for his first couple of years at Hogwarts, that seemed to be the case. After all, Severus was still just a kid while puberty seemed to be taking over everyone else's mind. Remarkable intelligence drew jealousy from his peers and often led to bitter cutting comments from the less capable. However, Lucius took care of what Severus didn't have the desire to challenge and after a while, one thing was certain. Severus Snape was in the very small yet powerful ring of Lucius's acceptance, in other words, his friend. You don't cross with anyone that has to do with Lucius Malfoy.   
Considering this invisible and unofficial but existent law, Severus received all the solitude required for him to pursue academic interests with ease and became quite deft in many subjects. Perhaps his only dislike was Divination but then again, that was a mutual feeling with generally all of the Slytherins.   
However, even young Severus hit puberty over his summer before third year. Although his mind seemed unaffected, his looks seemed to compete with those of Lucius. For those who lived on pointless crushes day after day, this was a relief. Lucius Malfoy was in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts. After he left, the girls would have to find someone else to obsess over. Unfortunately for Severus, he seemed to be a good candidate for the next impossible fantasy lover.   
Professor Figg stood stonily at the front of the room. It was cold in the dungeons, yet her black overcoat was hanging over her chair in contrast to the Gryffindor and some of the Slytherins bundled up in layers of sweaters, coats and scarves. Severus was one of the few that had only the standard school uniform covering his body. The cold seemed to mean nothing to him, perhaps the many long hours spent in a dungeon not unlike the one they were currently in numbed him to it.   
"Optolus Enhancement Elixer," she crisply announced. "Improves your farsight by a great deal and even let's you see through walls." Pregnant pause and a sweeping glance around the room. "Don't think you'll catch something worth blackmail. If you've forgotten, Hogwarts has many rooms shielded from this type of potion. That does include all restrooms, house towers and staff only admittances." She glared at a particularly perverted group of Slytherins snickering in a far corner. "One to two people per group, you have until the end of the period."  
Severus worked alone as usual. In fact, the only reason why Professor Figg gives them the choice to choose partners or go solo is because of Severus. Although Professor Figg never mentioned anything, being partnered with Severus would insure an automatic A and an easy ride through the class. Severus, as if to prove this point, was doing arithmancy homework and finished it all while brewing the potion.  
Narcissa noticed this and had a hard time decided whether to scowl at the fact that he had finished the potion with half the period leftover or to stare while he was surely enveloped in his books and guaranteed not to notice her anytime soon. Sometimes she wondered if Snape somehow cheats and looks into the lesson plans in advance but he always seems to be reading books on the subject all the time. He makes potions seem as simple as the effort of stepping into the dungeon and walking to his seat each morning.   
Narcissa sighed with the content feeling that washed over her from just watching him skimming through the text with a quill scratching against paper taking notes. She sensed someone next to her and looked up. Professor Figg's face greeted her from above. "I suppose you're not aware that your partner has been doing most of the work for ten minutes now," she said in a low and firm voice. Indeed, when Narcissa glanced over, her friend gave her a look of reluctant agreement. She guilty leaned back into their potion and resumed to meticulously cutting the roots she had abandoned minutes before.  
  
~  
  
Severus was told about a particularly group of boys residing in the Gryffindor Tower early on in his first year. There were four of them. James Potter, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. They were inseparable...well, at least the first three seemed to have this special bond going. Severus observed that the Pettigrew guy was merely just a tag along. But he found that he had a deep respect for James, Remus and Sirius. They seemed so relaxed, carefree and happy, strolling around Hogwarts as their second home while Severus hid in a dark corner and buried himself in books.   
Sirius was the first to acknowledge Severus's tendency to pop up around them quite often. By then, it became quite well known that they were mischievous pranksters and managed to get away with close to anything. Sirius suspected that Severus was snooping around to rat on them or at least get Lupin's secret out to the public.   
Severus had a different goal in mind however. Spending his nights reading up on magical creatures after observing that Lupin was missing from their group every full moon, he suspected the truth to Lupin's absence. And then Professor Figg gave him permission to work in the dungeons after hours. Early into his third year, he triumphantly stumbled out of the dungeon with a small bottle in his hand. All he needed was Lupin to allow him to test it on him to make sure.  
Of course, Sirius noted his presence more than ever in the month following Severus's secret discovery. Suspicion had clouded Sirius's sense of reason, it wasn't exactly a strong point for him at the time anyway. He snagged the small dark haired boy in the halls one afternoon after his free period. "Why do you keep following us?" he asked, not bothering to hide the tone of rudeness in voice.  
Severus regarded him with a serious look. "I need to visit Lupin. I think I know where he goes every month and---"  
"Are you spying on us?" Sirius interrupted. "Are you that low to go and spy on us? Look, just because we happen to get away with our stunts doesn't mean you have to go and ruin it."  
"I swear it's not---"  
"Don't mess with me," Sirius said flatly. "And stay away from Lupin."  
"But that's the thing. I can help Lupin!"  
"Oh," Sirius pretended to be surprise but the gesture wasn't sincere. "I suppose you'll help him get in trouble. Listen wannabe..." he paused, a slow devilish smile creeping onto his lips, "if you really must know, you can push that knot on the trunk of the Whomping Willow to freeze that stupid tree long enough for you to get to the entrance. It's not easy, don't say I didn't warn you."  
Severus's dark eyes seemed to give away the fact that he took in all the information just offered to him. He nodded in thanks and quietly sauntered off in the direction of the dungeons.   
  
~  
  
"You did what??" James exclaimed. He and Sirius were lounging in the Gryffindor commonroom. The absence of Remus lessened the good mood slightly. The absence of Peter made up for it just a little. Nonetheless, they chatted on, looking forward to tomorrow when they'd be able to meet up with Remus again.  
"I decided to give the snoopy little kid a lesson in minding his own business." Sirius was sprawled on the thick red carpet in front of the fire. "If the Whomping Willow doesn't make him learn, Remus'll teach him." Sirius laughed with a dismissive note in his voice. However, he seemed quite perturbed by the fact that his buddy in crime wasn't laughing with him. "What's wrong, wolf got your tongue? Or your sense of humor for that matter."  
"Just the about the knot…"  
"Sirius!"  
"What?" Sirius exclaimed crossly. "He was going to find out anyway. That kid has higher marks than any of the Ravenclaws."  
James just shook his head, wide eyed. "How could you?" he whispered. "Don't you realize that if he gets past that tree, Remus will have another victim to add to his killed list?"   
"All the better," Sirius remarked. "The pretty boy should know that spying is something that disgraceful Death Eaters do."  
"And if he does get out alive, Remus's cover is blown!"  
"I doubt he---James!"  
James hurried out of the portrait before Sirius could finish his retort. Sirius rolled his eyes as someone came in from the girls' dormitories. "What's wrong with James?" she curiously asked.  
"Stopping that Snape kid from going to Remus." Sirius looked bored. "In the meantime, wanna play a game of Exploding Snap with me, Lily?"  
Lilian Evans flashed a look of brief disgust before turning to the portrait hole. "James has got to be the hero by himself doesn't he? I'm going to go down and make sure he doesn't get too carried away." She stalked out of the commonroom with a slight haste that she couldn't hide, leaving Sirius staring at her in confusion. Lily usually dismissed James's noble acts as something as normal as eating.  
  
~  
  
The Whomping Willow managed to whomp him once and only once. It was after Severus was knocked down out of surprise that he noticed a delicate pattern in it's attack that opened up a small slot of time for him to run in close enough to tap it with a long stick. Which produced the amusing scene of the tree's flailing limb to freeze in midair. Honestly though, Severus was puzzled. He hadn't noticed this tree here before and the opening in it was quite a victorious find.   
He found himself racing along a dark tunnel as fast as his legs could carry him. He felt the small vial taking the bumpy trip in his pocket just to make sure it was still there. There was the sound of pounding steps behind him and a voice wildly yelling his name. "Severus!" It took him less than a moment to realize that it was James Potter in pursuit, which encouraged him to run faster. The tunnel seemed never ending and James was gaining.  
A body smashed into him from the back, taking him down with him. He grunted upon impact to the ground as the momentum carried them forward and slamming them head on into something hard. However, dim light fell upon them as the door before them swung wide open. James had manage to pin Severus to the ground when a low growl came from inside the room.  
His breath seemed to stop short as he dared to take a sideways glance to the source of the malevolent sound. Severus looked too and was horrified. The recognition of a werewolf in the room before them didn't scare Severus one bit. The intense reading he accomplished in the last month brought him across knowledge as to how to handle werewolves. Besides, he had other fears to worry about. However, the particular young wolf they gazed upon looked absolutely miserable and covered with blood and open wounds. Even James seemed taken aback. Meanwhile, the werewolf seemed to be fighting something within himself and within a split second, one side won and it slowly got up and advanced toward the boys.  
Severus was petrified by the gruesome sight and the fact that this was actually a student. James, on the other hand wasn't about to stand around and become dinner. "Remus," he muttered silently, seemingly sympathetic towards the beast as much as Severus was. Then he took off in the other direction, yanking Severus beside him and shoving the door shut with a loud BANG!  
Severus cried out in protest and sudden pain at the strength of Gryffindor's grip. But if he didn't move his legs, he knew that James would drag him along anyway. "Accio Comet!" James cried over the sound of the door blasting open in falling splinters. Through the darkness, Severus could hear a whistling sound above their feet and was sure that James's broom was going to knock into them and end their lives. Somehow, he heard a crack of wood in contact with James's hand. "Get on," he hissed, yanking Severus a second time and kicked the broom forward as fast as it would go.   
He heard the sounds of the panting wolf falling further back as the wind rushed past his ears. If the moment weren't so close after a life threatening experience, he would've enjoyed the speed. He watched a couple of quidditch matches in between his studying projects here and there and both times, the Gryffindors played with James Potter as their seeker. And of both times, he didn't think James was flying fast at all. But now he was in their shared moment of panic.   
Dull grey light washed over them as they sped out of the tunnel. James still had his mind to remember to hit the knot again on their way out. Severus felt them lift up higher than the treetops as the his hair gradually fell back to freely waving around his face. James hovered with practiced talent and regarded his passenger directly for the first time in his time at Hogwarts. "You could've been killed," he said slowly.   
"You say that as if I didn't know that," Severus snapped irritably.  
James remained quiet as he lowered them to the ground. "Don't go near the Whomping Willow or Remus in that state again," he darkly warned and flew off towards the quidditch field.   
Severus collapsed on the grass, warily watching the willow at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He got up and slowly walked back to the tree, staying far away enough so he didn't trigger it.  
"James...he saved you," Lily said from behind him. She walked up to his side and watched as Severus wordlessly sunk to the ground. Lily sat beside him, idly picking at the grass. Her eyes caught the shimmer of glass in front of the small boy's feet and put the puzzle pieces together. "You were trying to help Remus," she gently accused.  
Severus's shoulders shook. "And don't tell them I did. They don't care," he bitterly spat. "They want me dead. They think I'm just a nuisance, a snitch that wants to get them in trouble."  
"No they don't," Lily automatically solaced softly.   
"Then what do you call a getup like that? Sirius purposely told me how to get passed the tree."  
A spark of fury shone in the girl's eyes for moment. Severus didn't notice because he refused to look at her. She was, after all, a friend of the group of Gryffindor boys. Which caused him surprise when she hugged him in reassurance, a gesture he had only received as a little boy from his mother. "I wouldn't take Sirius too seriously," said as she released him. "As for trying to help Remus, I won't tell them if that's what you wish." He heard her rise to her feet behind him and start to walk back.   
"Lily," he said suddenly on impulse that appeared out of nowhere. He turn toward her and she paused and glanced back at him with those fiery green eyes. "Th-thank you," he stammered, not knowing what else to say. If Lily noticed the mark of nervousness in his voice, she didn't show it. Lily just nodded in understanding and silently trekked back to the castle.  
  
~  
  
The small under aged boy sat quietly aside in the commonroom, entranced with a book about poisons and deadly toxins. Everyone found this unsurprising yet unfamiliar. Severus was usually in debates and conversations with a fellow potions expert named Shawn Parkinson. However, Shawn had graduated from Hogwarts last year and left no one for Severus to properly discuss his favorite topic.  
Professor Dumbledore had called him to his office earlier regarding the case of Remus Lupin. He had been sworn to secrecy, much to Severus's dismay to be treated as so. "It was very difficult convincing the Ministry in giving you the privilege of coming to Hogwarts early," Dumbledore had told him. "I hope you keep that in mind the next time you try something...instinctive."  
"You sent me an invitation early on purpose?" And all this time, Severus thought it was merely a mistake on the registration part.  
"Yes, to beat Durmstrang's invitation. And I see you're academic success makes my effort worthwhile." Severus didn't know why, but that little line of supposed praise left him fuming by the time he walked out of Dumbledore's office.   
Lucius had joined him at his table. Severus glanced up for a brief moment and immediately went back to his book. "Yes, Lucius?" he said slowly and calmly. Unlike everyone else, Lucius wasn't a trouble to him and therefore, he had no reason to fear him.  
"Hello Severus," Lucius said brightly. "How about you and I go for a walk."  
"Why?" It's not everyday that Lucius asks you to go for a walk. He asks his girlfriends to go on a walk to break up with them. However, considering the fact that Severus and Lucius were not dating, this was probably not the situation at hand.   
"We need to talk." A line used when his girlfriend questioned his intentions. It was used more often as he grew older and well known for his classic procedure for breakups. Once again, considering that Severus and Lucius were not dating, there was no dramatic parting to follow.   
Severus eyed him with light suspicion but tucked his book away anyway. "So what's so important that we need to walk the grounds?" he asked as soon as the back doors of Hogwarts closed behind them. A thick blanket of clouds hid the sun and any hint of blue while the atmosphere hinted at rain.  
"I have a secret," Lucius confessed, "that might benefit you."  
"How's so?" Severus's curiosity got the best of him. However, he wearily noticed that Lucius was leading them towards the Forbidden Forest. As important as privacy was, the grounds were deserted as far as the eye could see. There was no real reason to be sneaking away to someplace off limits.  
"Well, I know how much you crave knowledge. You're probably the smartest kid Hogwarts will see and somehow you still seem quite limited to what you can access…like everything in the Restricted Section for example. You could get the same information without having to sneak in after curfew!"  
"What are you getting at?" Severus sounded quite unamused.  
"I'm saying there is a way to heighten you intelligence, to satisfy your ever growing hunger for the power of knowledge. I know someone, a very powerful wizard, who's offering it to you in exchange for your assistance. You're a very valuable person, Severus." His tone was solemn and he seemed dispirited. "He's quite in need of our help. His life would be put in jeopardy in the near future unless we stop his murderer from maturing enough to commit his evil deed."  
"Murderer?" Severus repeated with disbelief. "Lucius, if we killed this murderer so he won't grow up to kill whoever this guy is that you're talking about, then we'd be murderers ourselves. Let me tell you, I don't want to be sent to Azkaban at age 11. And besides, why would I want to save someone I hardly know?"  
Lucius twitched with a dry smile. "Because he can give us power so that no one can stop us. Give us what we desire. You want access to education and he'll gladly trade you that for your services to his protection. He doesn't care that you're two years out of place and the smallest kid in your year. He looks only at your skills. And he can manipulate those skills to make you more powerful than Potter can dream."  
The last few sentences had attracted Severus. How did he know about his run in with James Potter? "My skills?" he doubtfully questioned, yet Lucius could tell he was starting to consider. Bait taken.  
"He recognizes your advanced abilities despite your age. He's made a special request for you."   
"A special request?" Getting reeled...  
"Yes, I'm taking you to him right now."  
"Who this guy anyway?"   
"Lord Voldemort."  
"Sounds like he has a little too much self-esteem if you ask me." Fighting it...  
"It's a guise to keep him secret."   
"Oh fine. If it's to..." he choked, a dark expression clouding his face, "save a life, I suppose I can help." Fish caught.  
"Excellent..." Lucius smirked.  
  
~  
  
The dark cave that the two boys entered was a half hour walk into the forest. Severus was slightly edgy now, but a small spark of excitement convinced him to keep walking with the blond boy. Considering that this man was in hiding, the cave wasn't very deep.   
"Welcome back Lucius," a deep voice sounded from the emerging shadow.  
"My Lord," Lucius acknowledged, dropping to his knees.  
Severus took the notion to do the same.  
"So this is the young genius you were telling me about." The owner of the voice had stepped into the waning dim light from the entrance fully by now. Dark and longish locks of hair flowed around his face as if to match Severus's own.  
"Yes, my Lord," Lucius responded. His manner of intense devotion annoyed Severus slightly but he didn't comment on it.  
"Will you commit?" the man directed his attention toward Severus.  
Severus hesitated. For a brief second, a feeling of dread settled in his stomach. Then his brain clicked something and he became resolute. "Yes---" he sounded less determined than Lucius. He felt the urge to run away and think this over but something held him down. "---My Lord," he whispered, defeated.  
The man smiled maliciously as he whipped out a wand. "Very well then." He murmured something and dark green smoke flow out of the tip and drifted around Severus's left arm. It burned; it felt like his whole arm was on fire and it involuntarily jerked. Severus managed to bite back a scream of pain but he felt his knees land on the ground. He hugged his arm to him in a vain attempt to repress the pain. The feeling of being torched subsided within a minute, however, it felt more like a year to Severus. When he finally was clear-minded enough, he yanked up the sleeve of his robe, looked down and choked in surprise.  
Imprinted on his arm was a snake coiling out of a skull. Suddenly filled with dread at the sight of it, he glanced back at Lucius, who looked somewhat sympathetic. "Sorry," he apologized, I forgot to tell you that would sting for a moment."  
His gaze fell back on Lord Voldemort, who read his quizzical expression easily. "It's the Dark Mark," he explained quietly, "if I'm in need of your services, I'll call you through that. But I need to train you a little, your wand skills could use some work."  
Severus frowned. Lucius never said anything about using a wand. "I'd have Malfoy here help you but I'm afraid he's not one to teach you my ways. We'll begin your training during winter break." The malevolent glint in the man's eye caused Severus to shiver as Lucius led him out of the cave.  
  
~  
  
His book lay forgotten on the tabletop, his quill hanging idle between his fingers until it drifted down next to his book. His eyes steadily sweeping across the room in rapt attention. His normally stolid face was twisted into one of remorse. It was obvious. Lilian Evans had just entered the room. Narcissa bitterly glared at the redhead who held the attention of the boy who captured her own attention. Lily didn't seem to notice though, irritating Narcissa even further.   
Lily had trailed over to the back table where James, Remus, Sirius and Peter were clustered together, apparently in deep conversation and examining a big pile of books. They all greeted her with enthusiastic salutations, putting their laborious research aside. The whole school had noticed that the Marauders, as they became known as, had been pulling less pranks and jokes and spending more time in the library lately. The other students had assumed that they were simply researching something to pull the ultimate prank on someone later in the year and anticipated the results without much interference.   
Severus had found him self in the library more often also. He had many books pulled out about wizard dueling and tips on casting spells and hexes. An occasion book on potions was mixed in the pile, but not very often because he figured out that he read the whole library section on potions anyway. As soon as he figured out that he'd been distracted, he tore his eyes off of the female Gryffindor across the room and buried himself back into the book in front of him.   
Sirius noticed Severus's more frequent presence in the library ever since they started their secret project. He grew more hostile towards the Slytherin, and if James and Remus hadn't been there to discourage any interaction with Severus whatsoever, Sirius would be ripping out the boy's senses by now. He concluded that Severus was trying to get them back for their initial run in by spying on them and getting them in trouble.  
What he didn't know was that he had Severus's intentions incorrect, although if the consequences weren't so complicated, he would've loved getting Sirius in trouble. No, Severus was truly researching information on dueling, spells and hexes for this man named Lord Voldemort...which no one had heard of except Lucius and a couple other Slytherins. He was also in there so he could catch a glimpse at Lily when she came in for one of her periodic visitations with her friends. Narcissa figured that part out and was also in there a lot.   
There was a pause in activity when they noticed that Madam Prince, their new and much hated librarian, had slipped off of a rolling ladder while trying to locate a book. Her squawking made much racket throughout the generally quiet library until a couple of older Hufflepuffs had helped her up and led her out of the room.  
Sighing, Severus got up to return a pile of books he had just finished looking through. Sirius smirked and covertly stuck his foot out. The small Slytherin fell flat on his face, the pile of books flying high in the air and landed around him like bombs on the battlefield. His hands throbbed from breakings his fall against the hard stone floor. His recoiled for moment before realizing what had happened. Glaring, he had turned toward the culprit.  
Sirius leaned back in his chair with a lazy smirk on his lips, his friends looking at him with horrified expressions. "What are you looking at, Slytherin scum?" he asked in a syrupy sweet voice.  
Fuming, Severus slowly stood up, glowering at the gloating Gryffindor. "You owe me an apology," he angrily growled.  
"Do I?" Sirius asked in mock surprise. "Maybe you should sharpen your senses. Then maybe you could avoid something...like…this!" He yelled the last word, his wand pointed at Severus and a beam shot out of it.  
The Slytherin stepped back just out of the way of the hex. He pulled out his own wand. "Rictusempra," he muttered, retaliating immediately.  
Sirius went down at once, laughing so hard that tears sprang from his eyes. James looked mystified, Remus was amused and Lily...well, she didn't happy at the moment. Peter huddled behind the table, pretending to be searching for something in the piles of books they had stacked there.  
"Finite Incantatum," Severus chanted.  
Sirius stood up and heaved in deep breaths that were stolen in his fit of laughter. He was angry however. He raised his wand and shouted, "Forcatis---"  
"Expelliarmus!"  
A surprised look was slapped onto Sirius's face when his wand flew out of his hands. Severus stared, unsure of how to take the deed accomplished by a furious Lilian Evans. She gripped Sirius's wand tightly in a clenched fist, her own pointed at him in her right hand. "Sirius Black!" she cried, seemingly having a loss of words at the moment. She threw the extra wand to the ground and stormed out.  
Severus quietly gathered up his books and slipped into the depths of the bookshelves. He caught a glimpse of James running out after his female friend and Remus walking over to retrieve Sirius's wand for him. Sirius remained still and staring at the Slytherin. If looks could kill, Severus would have been beyond the gates of death faster than they could open.  
Narcissa and a few Ravenclaws witness this little rule-breaking duel between two students of opposing houses. She shook her head in disgust and walked out the doubles doors into the corridor. Something told her that Severus's admiration toward Lily had just jumped above and beyond cloud 9.   
  
~TBC~  
contact: big_fat_dragon7@hotmail.com 


	2. Chapter Two: Green and Red Quidditch

Chapter Two: Green and Red Quidditch  
  
Dumbledore sat quietly in his office. He was waiting for something. Or someone. His reason wasn't clear to any observer, if he had any, and the only person who knew what he was expecting was himself. Then his door opened without so much as startling him. A red-haired girl walked in; it was one of the third years. Her body stood strong across the office from Dumbledore, staring at him with unwavering green eyes.  
Dumbledore pleasantly smiled. "Welcome Lily. Please sit. I'm sure it would make our conversation less awkward." Lily sat, albeit a little stiffly, without taking her eyes off of the headmaster. "Now, I certainly don't think you're in trouble from any teacher," he chuckled softly, "so why don't you open up the topic."  
  
A breath wheezed out from her lips. Her hands were wringing even though she consciously didn't know she was doing it. Lily took her eyes to the floor for one brief moment before returning their gaze to the great wizard behind the desk. After a moment, through which Dumbledore patiently waited, she finally declared, "I'm worried about Severus Snape."  
  
~  
  
The school was in high spirits on a particular crisp November morning. The anticipated Gryffindor vs. Slytherin quidditch match was later in the day and Severus felt like someone had dropped an anvil on his head while he was asleep. The result was a nauseating feeling creeping through his stomach as he threw on his clothing attire for the morning.  
Breakfast was nothing more than normal to Severus...at first. He went down as soon as the doors opened to avoid James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. He noticed Lily settle down at the Gryffindor table with a book, bent over with concentration. He pretended that she wasn't there. His mind was set on other things at the moment.  
She looked up and noticed him however. Her captivating green eyes startled Severus for a moment and he looked down at his plate on impulse. He could feel her scrutinizing him a little longer until she got up and stalked out of the Great Hall. He had just finished his meal when he could hear Sirius yelling from the entrance hall. Severus hastily got up and left. Trying not to look obvious, he ducked into a hallway and sped towards the Slytherin tower to gather his things. Of all days, today was definitely not the day to run into the mighty Gryffin-four group.  
  
~  
  
The stands were packed with spectators from the whole school and beyond. And then the whole of the crowd was astonished to find James Potter no longer leading the Gryffindor team onto the field next to Adam Kimball, the keeper. Instead, a girl with short golden brown hair, Hayley, was in his place and James was in the back with Stephanie and Ashleigh, two of the Gryffindor chasers.  
Severus, decked out in his seeker uniform, noticed the change right away too. Hayley was also a third year Gryffindor but from what Severus observed from the Gryffindor practices, she had enough skill and talent to take the Quidditch Cup from Slytherin last year. Matt, Gryffindor's team captain and James' good friend that year, disabled that chance. Now that Adam switched the positions, Severus was slightly worried about the outcome of the match.  
Professor Avid, in his black and white robes, walked out to the big chest in the middle of the field. As soon as the two teams were gathered around him and set, he blew his whistle and released the four balls. Severus watched as his fellow team members shot out in different directions. Joel (Greene), Rhea (Johnson) and Henry (Foss) took the quaffle down the field immediately, closely pursued by James, Stephanie (Killen) and Ashleigh (Grosjean) from Gryffindor. The clear voice of Mac Sample was heard above the frenzy noises of the crowd: "Johnson with the quaffle---pass to Greene---pass to Johnson--- intercepted by Killen---pass to Potter---pass to Killen---pass to Grosjean-- -Grosjean shoots! Fritts dives---and blocks it." His narrations came out quick to keep up with the speed of the game.  
  
Severus let out a breath as Melissa threw the quaffle back in to Joel. He saw Adam swing a bludger toward him and easily dodged it. Amazing though, how he didn't see the bright flash of red until it was too late. The crowd gasped as Severus and James pummeled down to the rising ground. James managed to get his bearings at the same time that Severus did and they both managed to stop their fall so they could wrestle in midair instead.  
The groans and disapproval of the crowd turned into another uniform gasp of anticipation. Hayley was diving toward the ground faster than Severus and James had just fallen. Severus saw a flash of gold...but it wasn't in front of Hayley like everyone thought it was. With their prize zipping around above the center of the field, Severus noted that her diving was spectacular...but feinting was not effective when you can see the snitch elsewhere. Severus took off toward the center where the snitch frolicked as if it were mocking his delay.  
"Killen plants another goal against the Slytherins! The score is 20- 40---pass to Johnson---pass to Foss---" Severus heard the sound whooshing past his ears as if the world outside the quidditch field were in a different dimension. "It appears Snape is in pursuit of the snitch! Callis takes off after him!" Severus could see a blur of red in the distance in his peripheral vision. He felt something hard and foreign slam into his ribs and warm flash slam into his shoulder when he was knocked off course again.  
"Potter," he growled under his breath when hard brown eyes stared back at him through black-rimmed glasses as he recovered. Without waiting for an apology or insult, he dove past him in the direction he saw the snitch flying towards last. He saw Hayley flying at his right so he steered towards her just as she shot downwards, pulling off another spectular dive. However, this time the snitch was directly in front of her. Severus went down after her.  
He almost crashed into the ground after Hayley. The snitch took a sudden turn up and she followed it with unbelievably quick reflexes. Severus swerved to avoid a bludger, which smashed into the turf below him when it didn't make contact with its target, and launched himself up. He was gaining on both Hayley and the snitch. The combination of the speed of his broom and the gradual decrease of oxygen in the air was dizzying and exhilaration for Severus.  
He slammed into Hayley and attempted to knock her away. Her broom being a match to his new Shootingstar refused to give way so he concentrated on grabbing the snitch instead. It led them back down to a lower altitude; the pressure changing so quickly that Severus found himself trying to pop his ears before they grew too painful.  
"Another goal for Slytherin by Greene! Score is now 40-100!"  
Severus reached out, his hand grasping for the golden prize flashing in front of him. The snitch was snatched out of the air...by Hayley. Severus found an empty gloved hand attached to his arm right before he realized a little too late that the ground had come to greet him. His broom slammed into him from underneath as the front of his body crashed into the grass. He rolled across the field for some feet, coming to a stop lying on his back.  
"Hayley Callis catches the snitch! GRYFFINDOR WINS!!" Mac yelled into the speaker. "The ending score is 190-100!"  
Grimacing at the immediate pang of failure and the oncoming torrent of pain resulting from his horrible landing, Severus just lay there staring up at the swirling grey clouds that matched his current mood at the moment. He was oblivious to the atmosphere of frenziness as three-fourths of the student body poured out onto the field in delight now that they had witnessed the downfall of Slytherin.  
Six pairs of feet stood before him; the furious face of the Slytherin captain, Henry Foss, was a sudden contrast to the rainbow of shades of grey above. Severus sat up, catching himself with his left arm when his right recoiled before he could put any weight on it.  
"I thought you said you could win," Henry muttered darkly.  
Severus replied in a cool tone despite the withering glares he received from a good number of the Slytherin house. "I said I could win against Potter," was his response. "I never said anything about Callis."  
"You're about to get kicked off---" "So you're threatening me," Severus sneered, a feeling of arrogance suddenly capturing his spirit like the rapture of flying and competition did only moments before. "And who's going to replace me? Rhea?" He saw both Henry and Rhea redden in the face and they looked ready to kill. To Henry, that didn't seem like such a terrible idea. He stooped and yanked the folds of the front of Severus's quidditch robes. "Maybe we'll get Potter to play in your place. He'd make a better addition to the team anyway." "I don't think so," James interrupted from behind Severus. He approached the pair, dangerously stepping within the ring of Slytherins with Sirius, Remus and Peter behind him. "I am a chaser now, not a seeker. I play for only Gryffindor, never Slytherin. Severus is a talented Seeker, we were just better prepared this time." His eyes flashed as Henry dropped Severus and turned towards him. "This is none of your business, Potter," Henry glowered, brandishing his wand from under his robes. "Get out of here before I zap your pesky eyes out through the backside of your head." "Your head would be clear off your shoulders before you finished saying the spell." Remus also had his wand out and pointed at the Slytherin captain. Sirius had mirrored his movement and also had his wand pointed straight at Henry. Henry firmly held his wand. He shot a menacing glare at Severus before pocketing it with a sharp flick of his wrist. "What is this, your Gryffindor family? Shove off until you find where your loyalties lie." Henry whirled and broke through the wall of Slytherins that had come to observe the dispute. Severus felt himself being hoisted by the back of his robes as Remus yanked him up from behind. Muttering bitter words of disapproval, the mass of Slytherin fans dispersed towards the school as they left Severus, Remus and Peter standing by a bickering match between Sirius and James. "I can't believe you stood up to Henry Foss for another Slytherin scumbag," Sirius was angrily scowling at James. "He's a third year like us," James spoke with a dark tone. "It's my fault he lost." "It's his own fault!" "Stop arguing over something stupid like this," Severus growled and stalked off before any of the other boys could respond.  
  
~  
  
Winter break started at Hogwarts and the few students that signed up to lodge at Hogwarts stayed in the school while the rest cleared out for home. Severus wasn't on the list of kids staying at school for Christmas like James and his friends were. He wasn't going home either. He rode out with Lucius to the vast mansion the older Slytherin called home. However, Severus found the big place empty of any other people.  
Severus became a little edgy when Lucius led him underground into what appeared to be a dungeon of some sort. The sudden pain in his arm took him to the ground. It felt like something had ripped his arm off and decided to stick a knife up where the missing part was.  
"Doesn't have much endurance for pain, I see."  
Severus noticed Lucius cringing in pain too, although he didn't seemed as affected by the pain as Severus was. He realized that the mark he bore on his arm was boldly glowing a midnight black.  
"Please forgive him, Master," Lucius replied, "Endurance is something that requires experience."  
Lord Voldemort gave a slight nod of the head and Severus felt the pain suddenly shut off like a faucet. "That is true, Lucius," he calmly spoke. "You are proof that experience will raise your endurance. In time, Severus will be able to handle this as well. Come Severus, we shall start your training."  
Severus got up while rubbing his arm and followed the mysterious man. They stopped after a dizzying labyrinth of dark hallways in front of a huge wooden door, which opened with the touch of the hand. Beyond the heavy door was an empty and vast circular stone room.  
"Go in," Lord Voldemort commanded. When Severus didn't move, he quietly grasped his wand and gave it a discreet flick. Severus went down just as fast as he did before. "The pain stops if you get in the room," Lord Voldemort softly spoke over Severus's groans of pain.  
Not only did the pain rip through his arm, it enveloped his whole body. It took every bit of strength he had to slowly drag himself into the room so the pain would lift. Thankfully, the pain vanished as soon as his feet were inside, leaving him on the ground panting through a sheen of sweat.  
"Severus?"  
Lord Voldemort walked past the trembling boy towards the back wall of the icy room. "I don't recall ever giving you permission to speak," he spoke with a silkily smug tone. Then he turned back to Severus, smirking when the young preteen's horrified expression told him that he was seeing his own father chained to the wall behind him. "In order to successfully accomplish our goal here, you need to be able to manipulate your surroundings to ensure your achievement." He was steadily walking back to Severus, creating a basic yet punctuating rhythm. "This curse, Severus, is a valuable tool that will undoubtly prove to be useful in future."  
Severus let out a startled gasp when Lord Voldemort whirled back to his father and declared, "Crucio!" in a determined, yet amused voice.  
His father immediately let out an ungodly scream, and Severus, in turn, jumped up and tried to run to his father. Pain quickly enveloped him and he crumpled to the ground despite his efforts to stay on his feet.  
Voldemort stood calmly next to him. "If you want the pain to go away, go back to where you were."  
Severus shook with strain as he crawled back to where he was just standing, his father screaming the whole time. When Severus finally managed to sit up, he stared tearfully at the man chained to the wall. For the first time in his life (or that he could remember), he felt something other than annoyance or loathing. Sympathy, possibly...maybe even the realization of love? "Stop," Severus hoarsely cried out. "Stop it, please!"  
Lord Voldemort unemotionally held his gaze for a moment. Without saying anything, his wand appeared and he gave a small wave in his father's direction. It took a while for Severus's father to stop screaming, and even then, his body was spasming several minutes after Voldemort called off the curse.  
"Emotional control is something else you will have to learn, Severus," Lord Voldemort said after a moment of silence. "Emotions, whether it be love or anger, causes weakness. You can't have weaknesses in this world or you will surely perish from incompetence." He was stepping towards the door in the same steady beat as before.  
"Where are you going?" Severus sniveled a little and stood up.  
"To bed," Voldemort casually replied. His answer was interrupted by an agonizing moan emitting from the back wall. "Remember, Severus, if you move from that spot, be prepared to face the consequences." He paused in the doorway. "We'll continue your training tomorrow morning."  
Lying curled up on the floor while listening to his father's anguished cries and moans was one of Severus's worst nights in his life.  
  
~  
  
"Lily! C'mon, this one's for you." James laughed merrily as he planted a colorful package in the arms of the green-eyed girl. He did a silly little dance around the livingroom to the amusement of Remus and Sirius. Lily paid no heed to him, continuing to stare out at the dancing snow flurries outside the window. "Lily, it's Christmas. Presents! With your name on them." For the first time in her life, she wanted to slap that stupid grin off of James's face. "James, please, it's 7:00 am on a cold December morning. Give me a break." This was not the reason why she was unusually irritable. In fact, she was quite cozy and wide-awake in the livingroom of the Potters, sitting with her best friends on Christmas morning. Their parents sat in the other room chatting merrily over hot cups of butterbeer.  
This was a tradition for the four boys and their families for three years now; for Lily, it was two. Normally, Lily would be laughing and urging Sirius to try on a new sweater or something. But she felt...different. Like something was wrong.  
"Lily..."  
It was only Remus this time. James had given up and rushed off with Sirius and Peter to try out his new set of magical pens. Remus remained sitting on the floor in the midst of multicolored wrapping paper. His concerned eyes rested on Lily in front of him.  
"Lily..." he tried again.  
"Remus," Lily replied, ignoring his tone of concern, "have you ever had a bad feeling about something, yet you don't know exactly what was wrong about that something?" Her green eyes met his, brimming with the seriousness of her inquiry.  
"No..." Remus slowly answered, "I'm afraid I don't know what exactly you're talking about."  
Lily remained quiet for a moment as she listened to the adults in the other room. "Did Severus stay at Hogwarts for the break?" she finally asked.  
Remus was taken aback. "I-uh don't recall seeing him on the list to stay," he sputtered in a delayed response. "Yeah, I think he went home. I saw him leave. Why, is something wrong?"  
Lily ignored his question and asked one of her own. "Are his parents muggles?"  
"How would I know?" Remus was giving her a funny look now. "Lily, what is going on?"  
"Have you read the papers recently? A married couple, a witch and a wizard, disappeared a little over a week ago from a muggle community. No evidence of a struggle, both cars were home, nothing stolen, no dead bodies yet. Apparently their only son, eleven years old, is at boarding school but no one knows where---"  
"Did they give names?"  
"Neal and Linda Snape. Do you remember what Severus's last name is?"  
Remus paused for a moment. "Snape," he answered, dread starting to creep into his voice.  
"I need to go back to Hogwarts," Lily said.  
James, Sirius and Peter all yelled in unison from the door. "What?!?"  
  
~  
  
Lucius strolled the halls of Hogwarts with a random feeling of satisfaction. Severus stayed back at the mansion an extra day to finish his winter training. He had become incredibly talented at dueling over the past couple of weeks. It impressed even Voldemort.  
Ironically, Lucius was glad to be back at school. He bitterly chuckled to himself, knowing that the feeling would wear off as soon as classes started again in the morning. But there was something he had here that he didn't have at the mansion. Footsteps echoed from the intersecting hallway ahead.  
  
~  
  
Lily sighed. She returned to Hogwarts almost a week early to inquire about Severus only to find that he did, in fact, go home. Dumbledore refused to give her any contact information despite her pleading request. She was going to the library to check the papers.  
Lily turned the corner and WHUMP! A mass of green robes slammed into her and knocked her off her feet. She cried out in surprise, her body jolting in pain as it made contact with the cold ground below her.  
"I am quite lucky this time, aren't I?" Lucius commented smugly from atop her stomach. "And here I was, thinking it would be another idiotic first year. Lily Evans, I thought you went home this winter."  
Lily stared up at him with disbelief. Has this guy gone mad? "Lucius," she acknowledged. "I'm quite busy. So if you don't mind, I'd like to---"  
"Wait a minute," Lucius' silky voice protested. "The train doesn't arrive until this afternoon. The halls are empty. It's a once in a lifetime deal." The glint in his eye sickened her. The answer to her question: no, he's beyond mad.  
"It's a never in a lifetime chance for you," Lily responded with gritted teeth. "Get off."  
"What if I like where I'm sitting?"  
"Get. Off."  
"Lucius!" Severus cautiously called out as he towed his belongings behind him.  
"Ah, Severus," Lucius purred without taking his eyes away from Lily. "Nice of you to join us."  
"Severus, get this prat off of me."  
"Lucius, please get off of her. That's a rather suggestive position."  
"Severus, I thought you weren't supposed to be back until this evening."  
"Voldemort said I---"  
"Voldemort!"  
Severus winced when he realized what he had just said. He glanced down and saw Lily's eyes flashing with rage. Lucius smirked with satisfaction.  
"The Voldemort? The guy who's killing wizards and muggles all over the world??"  
"Er...I guess that's one thing about him..." Severus nervously.  
"What were you doing with him??"  
"I---"  
"Stupefy!"  
Severus whirled around when a burst of light sped past him from behind and knocked Lucius against the wall. James stood firmly about twenty paces away. "Back off, Severus."  
"James, I wasn't---"  
"Expelliarmus!" Lucius cried, aiming a ball of energy at the Gryffindor and sending him flying backward, his wand escaping his fingers and clattering to Severus's feet.  
Severus stooped to pick it up.  
James climbed to his feet as if nothing had happened and glared at Severus. "Give it back."  
Severus's hand started moving towards James.  
"Don't you dare, Severus," Lucius warned.  
"Accio!"  
The wand flew out of Severus's hand and was caught by Lily.  
"You incompetent fool!" Lucius growled as he lifted his own wand again. "Ac-"  
"Expelliarmus!" Lily yelled and aimed her wand at him.  
Lucius was thrown back once again, his wand flying through the air.  
Lily ignored his wand near her feet as she marched past Severus to James' side and returned his wand to him. "Let's go, James. I can't stand the sight of either of these two any longer."  
Severus sat quietly, watching after the two Gryffindors as they walked towards the Gryffindor tower. Without a word, he got up and started collecting his personal belongings from off the ground.  
"I thought you're winter training would've made you improve," Lucius frowned, his toe sending an echoing beat down the corridors. "We should've won that duel."  
Severus glared at him. "You did that on purpose," he whispered solemnly. "Lily hates me now..."  
Lucius seemed very unmoved. "Love makes you weak," he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Let this be a lesson to you."  
Severus shot a last glare at him and continued alone down the corridor with his luggage.  
  
~  
  
Professor Dumbledore sat in his office. His hands held a report written on muggle paper. He gave the illusion that he was reading it when he was actually just staring at it, so he could think uninterrupted. One the younger teachers, Professor McGonagall, sat nervously in one of the comfortable chairs in front of his desk. Her mind seemed distant, as if she was unaware that she was still sitting in Hogwarts at all.  
Both instructors looked up when they heard the office door creak open. Severus popped his head of raven black hair in. "You called, Professor?" he asked, stepping into the office.  
"Severus," Dumbledore acknowledged him. "Please sit down. I have a few rather serious topics to discuss with you." He placidly watched as the third year Slytherin lower himself in the chair next to McGonagall. "Now Severus..." he began.  
"Why is Professor McGonagall here?" he interrupted.  
McGonagall was a sharp and rather attractive young woman. She shot him a look of disbelief and opened her mouth to protest. Dumbledore stopped her with a look. "Severus, Minerva is here to assist me. I have some...grievous news to tell you. I believe your life won't be the same for quite some time." He paused, never breaking eye contact with his youngest third year. "Severus, it was confirmed last night. Both of your parents are not alive after going missing for three weeks now. Their bodies were found in a patch of woods behind your house. You need to decide what you're going to do for the summer." Severus didn't seem to look a bit surprised. He sat quietly for moment. "I can't stay here?" McGonagall was wringing her hands in her lap. "We can't allow students to stay over the summer. It's against the rules," she said slowly. "We have no relative contacts of yours. We were hoping you could give us some." Severus didn't even look at her. "None." "Then what do you want to do this summer, Severus?" Dumbledore asked gently. Severus opened his mouth to respond and then hesitated for a moment. He seemed to be fighting a battle within himself that lasted for several moments. Dumbledore waited patiently; McGonagall too, albeit with not as much patience. One side finally seemed to win. "I request permission to stay at the Malfoy Manor for my vacations," he declared finally. McGonagall, if at all possible, suddenly sat up straighter than she was, but she didn't say anything. Dumbledore remained calm and callous. "Are you sure, Severus?" "Yes, sir." Dumbledore sighed, suddenly looking ten years older. "All right, Severus. I'll make arrangements with the Malfoy family..." ---What family? Severus dully thought--- "and you shall stay there at least during the summer break." Another pause. "Are you feeling okay, Severus?" "Just peachy, Professor Dumbledore," Severus sarcastically replied. "Be serious!" McGonagall snapped. "Minerva..." Dumbledore gently warned. Professor McGonagall harrumphed and crossed her arms over her chest, but said no more. "You may go, Severus," Dumbledore continued. Severus warily held the headmaster's a moment longer before standing up and leaving the two silent adults behind.  
  
~  
  
The corridors were empty as Severus walked through them from the headmaster's office. He was contemplating about his destination between the library and the Slytherin dorms. He paused by a window that overlooked the empty quidditch field and decided to calm his mind in the air.  
By the time he got down to the field, grabbed his Shootingstar, and took off, the Gryffindor team was marching down to the field in their practice quidditch uniforms. Severus rolled his eyes in annoyance and took off for the far end of the field.  
Shortly after their trek from the castle, and a discussion of tactics to be practiced from Adam, the air was filled with seven Gryffindors, decked in red, drilling through several quidditch maneuvers over and over again. Severus paused to watch as one of the female chasers, Stephanie as he remembered from the match back in November, released the snitch while Hayley would go catch it. Then he noticed Adam pointing at him and their other beater, William, flew up to where Severus hovered.  
"Adam asked me to kick you off the field," William informed him. "You seem mighty suspicious and he doesn't want to risk you stealing tactics or something."  
"I'm not," Severus truthfully answered.  
"GET OFF THE FIELD!!!" It was Sirius yelling from the stands beneath them. Severus narrowed his eyes. Remus appeared to be trying to grab Sirius's wand that was producing the sonorus spell, magnifying the bold Gryffindor's voice. "YOU'RE NOT WANTED!"  
"Severus, go." Another voice. The remaining two chasers had stopped their practice at the disruption and James and Ashleigh were floating about ten feet below William and Severus. Ashleigh's attention was at the two boys in the stands while James stared intently at the lone Slytherin.  
"CAN'T YOU HEAR? YOU FILTHY, NO GOOD---" Remus finally managed to knock Sirius' wand out of his hand. However, Sirius was the first to reach it and recasted the sonorus spell in no time. "GET OUT OF THE BLOODY FIELD ALREADY!"  
"This isn't worth my time," Severus muttered, after glancing at the rest of the Gryffindor team. He whipped out his wand and pointed it at Sirius, who was opening his mouth again. "Finite incantatem," he murmured.  
  
The rest of the Gryffindors didn't know what he was actually doing. Remus cried out at the sight of Severus' wand and dove to knock Sirius over out of the way. Sirius yelled out half of a word, unheard by any in the air since Severus cancelled his spell, before Remus slammed into him. James cried out in shock and yanked out his own wand, momentarily unsure of what he was reacting to.  
Adam, Hayley, Stephanie and the Gryffindor keeper were all up in the air investigating the reason why their practice came to a sudden halt. "William!" Adam called to his beater. "I thought I told you to get him off."  
William looked apologetic but said nothing.  
"Put the wand away," James calmly commanded.  
Severus glared at him. "You know, you think you can just boss me around like a little kid," he started.  
"That's not what---"  
"You're wrong."  
"Just get out of here, you bloody Slytherin," Adam barked.  
Severus didn't hesitate and immediately turned around. Sirius was cheering very loudly from the spectator stands while Remus was unsuccessfully begging him to stop.  
So much for calming his mind.  
  
~  
  
"Knight to E5."  
"Bishop to G4."  
"Knight to G4."  
"."  
"Um.Lily?"  
Lily blinked at her fallen bishop being hauled off the board in response. "Dang, I didn't see that!"  
Debby sat back with a sigh as the portrait hole opened. "Hello everyone," she greeted.  
"Debby! Lily!" Sirius exclaimed amidst a group of Gryffindors dressed in crimson robes. "You wouldn't believe what happened. Remember that Slytherin jerk Severus? He was giving the team a hard time in practice today. Remember, James?" James, the last one through the portrait hole, said nothing and walked up into the dorm rooms.  
"Knight to G4," Lily unhappily sighed. "What's wrong with James?" she asked out of mild curiosity, all while in hope to get off the topic of Severus.  
"I have know idea," Sirius helplessly shrugged his shoulders.  
"Pawn to B5."  
"Maybe if someone didn't act so stupid," Remus huffed.  
"Who, Severus?"  
"Knight to C5."  
"You're so conceited, Sirius. No wonder James is mad at you."  
Sirius looked affronted. "James is not mad at me. Remus! How could you say that!"  
"Pawn to H3," Debby said absently. "You know, I don't see what you all have against Severus. I don't see him trying to pull anything on you. You're just assuming that because of his house..."  
"I'm not assuming, I know," Sirius heatedly shot back.  
"Knight to E5." Lily tossed her hair behind her. "Maybe Remus is right," she yawned. "You are conceited."  
"I am not!" Sirius fumed.  
"Knight to C3."  
The quidditch team was coming back downstairs after changing into casual clothes. Hayley, dressed in jeans and a windbreaker, commented, "you know, he looked like he was trying to keep to himself today. I don't know why Adam made such a big deal out of it."  
"He's part of the Slytherin!" Tim exclaimed, coming out from the boys' dormitories. "You don't just let someone from the other team observe your practices. It gives them the advantage."  
"Pawn to E6," said Lily. "But you already played against Slytherin this year."  
"But what about next year?" Tim countered, "and the year after that? Hayley and Severus are both third years."  
"Oh, I don't think he was doing any harm," Hayley muttered, plonking down next to Stephanie in front of the fireplace. "At least not enough to get this much of a reaction out of us."  
"Bishop to F4." "But he's a Slytherin scumbag!" Sirius howled.  
"Knight to C4."  
"Shut up, Sirius."  
The chess game and the conversation froze as everyone looked up. James stood at the base of the stairs, staring at the group of Gryffindors.  
  
"What was that, James?" Sirius asked slowly, with a shocked expression.  
"Severus Snape," James announced with a grim look, "Slytherin? Yes. Scumbag? I think it takes one to recognize one."  
Sirius' face flushed red. "You bloody---"  
"Sirius!" Remus yelled when Sirius charged at James. The two boys fell to the ground, yelling and punching at each other. The commonroom was pandemonious as Remus, Tim and Hayley all jumped into the skirmish to separate them. In the end, Hayley was holding up James, whose glasses were broken on top of sporting a bloody nose. Tim and Remus were both struggling to hold Sirius back, who suffered with a cut lip. "Pawn to E3." Debby decided to continue their game as if the emotions of everyone in the room weren't rocketing out of the roof. "Queen to A5." Lily fixed Sirius with a glare. "Puh-lease, could you be any more immature?" Sirius wasn't paying attention however. "Get your bloody hands off of me!" he snarled at Remus and Tim. "I'm going to kill him! Geroff!" "Bishop to C4." "Sirius, would you calm down?" Stephanie pleaded from Tim's side. "Calm is the last thing---OFF!" With a roar of finality, Sirius managed to shove Remus, Tim and Stephanie away from him so he could get to his feet. Then he appeared to have a staring contest with James...which, to Remus, Tim, and Stephanie, was a momentary relief. The portrait hole opened once again. "Knight to A4. How was detention, Peter?" Lily asked conversationally in the middle of their awkward silence. "Bishop to D5."  
Peter looked extremely exhausted. "You know McGonagall," he pitifully sighed, "she had me scrub all the desks in the Transfiguration room again---including your 'Slytherin stinks!' logo, Sirius." Sirius snickered but his eyes held his death glare on James.  
"Knight to C3. Well, that doesn't sound like the worst she could possibly do," Lily commented thoughtfully. "Why did you get detention in the first place?"  
"I er..." Peter blushed. "I accidentally gave Phillip Seedar a tail.  
"Bishop to C6. Check." Lily cursed to herself. "King to E7." "A bushy squirrel tail!" Hayley exclaimed as she recalled that particular transfiguration hour. Peter avoided looking at his classmate as he remained quiet with embarrassment. "Are you doing okay?" James asked with a concerned expression, icily breaking off Sirius' gaze, much to Sirius' dismay. "I haven't seen you much outside of class periods. You look awfully tired." "Er...I guess the desks took a lot more energy out of me than usual," Peter replied in a shrilly voice. James gave him a weird look but said nothing more. "Bishop to G5. Check. " "Pawn to F6. Maybe you should go to bed early tonight." Lily kindly suggested. "Yeah, you look like you've just been hit with a Crucio curse," Tim joked. An expression of shock twisted Peter's features for a brief second, but it disappeared before anyone took note of it. His face flushed. He mumbled something about getting extra sleep and hurried upstairs. "Queen to D7. Checkmate."  
  
~  
  
Severus' mother had hair that seemed impossibly black, slightly curly, and cascaded down her back. It was one of the many things Severus admired about his mother. That, and her quietly determined spirit. But her hair. Severus' longish locks licked the sides of his face with a softness that most guys don't possess. He felt lucky that he managed to inherit this trait of his mother's, although he failed to obtain her pale blue eyes. He had his father's soft brown eyes instead.  
But Severus was paying no attention to his eyes as he stared idly in the bathroom mirror that morning, brushing out his shoulder length hair. In fact, his mind didn't seem in the bathroom at all. Not in the school either...  
  
Screams that seemed to rip every molecule in the air apart echoed around the vast stone room. His mother was chained to the wall in front of him. Her hair was draped limply around her shoulders as another wave of pain passed over her. "Severus," she helplessly panted, "make it stop.dear, dear Severus. Please."  
Severus didn't stop however. His eyes were brimming with tears, yet he said nothing to solace her. He knew how she felt; how the pain seemed to fill your whole being including every single atom within, how hopeless you felt when you couldn't escape the pain or control your screams, how time seemed to freeze and possibly stop while under the curse. It was all he could do to keep himself from healing her.  
Severus slowly held his wand up, taking in his mother one last time. He whispered, the words barely audible, "Avada Kedavra."  
  
"Severus...um...Severus?" Joel, a fourth year on the quidditch team, was standing hesitantly in the door to the bathroom. "Severus, we have practice."  
Severus groaned and got up.  
  
~  
  
"You weren't spying on us at that practice, were you?"  
Severus looked over his shoulder as he took down his broom from its rack. Hayley was standing in the entrance of the broom shed, staring at him. Severus noted that her grey eyes reminded him of Lucius. She was still staring at him, apparently waiting for an answer to her question. Albeit, the way she said it made it sound more like an accusation than a statement. "No," he answered placidly as he walked towards her on his way out.  
Hayley didn't move as Severus reached the door. "Why did you end up in Slytherin?" she suddenly asked. "Why not Ravenclaw? You're one of the smartest people in the school."  
Severus winced. "You of all people should know how horrible their quidditch team is," he remarked. Of course, Severus didn't tell her that he had no idea what quidditch was at the time of his sorting. "Doesn't it look bad for you if you're caught talking to a Slytherin? Especially their seeker?"  
Hayley smiled. "I think it would look worse for you if they caught you talking to a Gryffindor," she shot back. 'I was wondering if maybe you were up for a schoolwide seeker vs. seeker practice since we don't have to play against each other until next year."  
Severus shrugged. He thought about how the rest of the team would think at such a prospect and decided he didn't care. "Right now?"  
Hayley answered by walking in and grabbing her broom. "Why not?" She pulled a small gold snitch from her pocket. "International level zip snitch," she told him as she tapped it with her wand to ignite it. "Won it at a Seeker competition in Mexico." By now, the wings were fluttering so fast that Severus was surprised that Hayley's wrists weren't getting cut up by them. "Ready?"  
Severus nodded. "Go."  
At his cue, Hayley released the snitch. Severus stepped out of the broom shed and watched it fly towards the castle. "Is that a good idea?" he asked her.  
"It'll stay within the ground boundaries," she said with a shrug. She took off after it.  
Severus didn't hesitate and took off after her. Hayley was already halfway to the castle with Severus tailing about twenty feet behind her and the snitch fifty feet in front. She swerved to the right to match the movements of the small glitter of gold in front of them. Severus shot straight forward towards the castle and pulled up to clear the top of the building. Hayley was pursuing the snitch around the Gryffindor tower and into the south courtyard. Severus shot down and caught up to her in the courtyard as they chased the snitch above the heads of students wandering the tunnel. The golden prize shot up into the sky as soon as it reached the north courtyard at the other end of tunnel. Hayley and Severus both shot up after it, barely avoiding a collision with the huge tree in the middle of the courtyard. The snitch jerked right, and Hayley and Severus swerved in a close right around the Divination tower before shooting off towards the lake. The snitch was only about thirty feet ahead of them now. Hayley pulled forward slightly and glided to the left in attempted to cut the snitch off. The snitch darted to the left as Hayley predicted but then jerked again and started flying straight at her. She got ready to catch it but then it shot straight down towards the water. Severus dove down beneath her and raced after it. The snitch bested him as well, and the result was a huge splash as Severus and his broom submerged into the cold lake. Hayley looked worriedly at the surface as she turned her broom around. Then Severus shot out of the water, still on his broom. He was predictably soaked but he still sped off towards the castle where the snitch was headed. Hayley was following close to him, taking care to get out of the way of the water dripping from his practice clothes. Severus felt numb as the cold was starting to get to him. He clutched his broom without actually feeling it beneath him and steered up over the Astronomy tower. The snitch took a sharp left around the top and Severus matched its movements. Hayley shot up from their left and was flying about ten feet beneath the snitch. The snitch flew up higher though, and Severus felt himself gaining on the golden bird as he climbed altitude with it. Hayley shot up and reached him just as he managed to snatch the difficult prize from the air with a pale and wind-soaked hand. Severus was amazed when he saw, rather than felt the snitch struggling to free itself from his grasp. He then realized that the broom was no longer beneath him. Hayley cried out in surprise when she realized that Severus had slipped from his broom. She dropped, the abrupt change in altitude harassing her ears, in pursuit of the Slytherin Seeker. She managed to grab him, soaking herself because he wasn't completely dry yet. And she lowered him to the roof of the Great Hall. "I think I caught it," Severus said with a wry smile, "but I'm not sure since I can't feel anything." "You're an idiot, diving into that lake," Hayley playfully scolded. She performed a drying spell for the both of them and cast a warming charm as well. Severus summoned his broom to him and they both sat overlooking the quidditch field. The Slytherin practice was already over. "That was fun though," Severus nonchalantly commented as he scrutinized the snitch in his hand. "Thank you," he said, handing it back to Hayley. "We should do this again." "Next week?" "Saturday, after you beat Hufflepuff."  
"You're on."  
Severus smiled to himself. "So, why don't you hate me?" he asked, half joking and half serious.  
"I don't hate you," Hayley automatically replied.  
Severus bitterly chuckled to himself. "Then why does Lily? And James, Remus, Peter and Sirius? Not that I care about Sirius," he tacked on under his breath.  
Hayley gave him a funny look. "Lily doesn't hate you," she replied frowning. "Neither does James, Remus, or Peter. All right, so maybe Sirius hates you but you just said you didn't care."  
Severus rolled his eyes.  
"Don't let Sirius get to you. He's an annoying little bug that needs to grow up."  
Severus smirked. "So I'm not the only person who thinks that?"  
Hayley laughed in response.  
  
~  
  
James kicked a couple of pebbles as he trekked the path to the Gryffindor locker rooms. There was always drama at Hogwarts. But James usually wasn't included in an episode since he avoided those types of things. Suddenly, the news that he and Sirius weren't hanging around like best buds anymore was the flashing tabloid of the month. Which meant he was asked many unwanted questions about it.  
The dirt scraped as James kicked another random pebble. But that wasn't what he was pondering over at the moment. Although Peter wasn't as close to him as Sirius and Remus was, he still had James worried. Peter may not be the most interactive person in the world, but he seems to avoid everyone all the time now. Especially after being asked about McGonagall's detention last week. It's as if he's trying to hide something. But what?  
James paused when he heard a burst of laughter ahead of him. Standing at the door to the girls' locker room was Hayley, Stephanie and Tim talking away before they had to part to their respective changing rooms. James cocked his head as he kept walking. The way he looks at Hayley these days...  
Hayley, unaware that James was pondering something that included her, waved at her fellow third-year with a bright smile on her face. "Hi James!"  
"Hey guys," James regarded them with a pleasant look. Maybe Peter likes her. It's not like Hayley's unattractive or anything. Her grey eyes remind me of Malfoy though...He continued analyzing her as Tim continued to tell them about how Melissa Fritts from Slytherin dozed off during potions and how the professor reacted when she fell out of her seat.  
"---And she stands up, pretending that she had been awake the whole time. I mean, she was standing there telling Professor Figg and the rest of the class that she simply dropped her quill while her bright pink feather was sitting calmly on her desk the whole time. She could at least find a better lie. If I had been in the same position, I would have said, 'man, the vampires at the blood bank told me this might happen!'"  
James chuckled when Hayley and Stephanie did. "Let's go, Tim. We need to get dressed." He was accompanied by the fifth year to the other locker room. And he was still lost in thought as Tim spoke about something else. The more he thought about it, the most he convinced himself that Peter might have an innocent crush on Hayley and was withdrawing because of it. "That's probably it," he concluded aloud.  
"What's probably what?" Tim asked confusedly.  
James smiled. "Man, the vampires at the blood bank told me this might happen," he replied passively.  
Tim laughed. "Good one, James. But I hope you're not serious. We have Hufflepuff to beat."  
  
~~  
  
James wasn't the only one thinking about Peter's weird behavior. Remus found himself wondering why he was sitting at the Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor quidditch match when he knew how the outcome of the game would be. Not that Hufflepuff's team was the worst at the school (Ravenclaw somehow claimed that title recently) but their only chance at winning the House Cup graduated last year. So Remus could be found idly flipping through the pages of a book on magical creatures, accompanied Lily and Sirius.  
The absence of Peter was normal. Even though Remus insisted that Peter should come to the games to support James and let loose a little, Peter would shrink back and tell him that he had to practice a transfiguration technique or redo a potion for Figg's class. Remus couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for him because he tried so hard to get off from the bottom of the class. He even offered to help him with his transfiguration today, but Peter told him that he should probably tend to Sirius. Remus, suddenly realizing that Sirius was working on broom locking charms on the day of a quidditch match, grabbed Sirius and confiscated his wand. Peter was actually a brighter person than he came across as. He was specifically talented in Charms and hexes, almost a match for Severus Snape and Lily Evans, the king and queen of dueling. If he had more confidence in his ability, he probably wouldn't be considered such an idiot. "Get it Hayley!" Sirius was yelling. Everyone but Remus was on their feet as Hayley performed a spectacular dive to catch the snitch. Hufflepuff lost by a staggering amount of points and the Gryffindors were busy cheering for their win. Remus looked up. "Watch out!" he cried even though no one heard him. Hayley was then knocked off her broom by a stray bludger. The last Gryffindor in his seat got to his feet and helplessly watched as the Gryffindor Seeker felt towards the ground. The Hufflepuff team and the rest of the Gryffindor team realized a little too late that Hayley collided with the ground.  
Cheers of delight rapidly turned to yells of horror and murmurs of concern. There was a small collected gasp as suddenly, Severus popped up out of nowhere on the quidditch pitch and knelt down beside the fallen seeker. Chaos let loose again.  
"He just apparated!" Lily was gawking beside him. "Not even the teachers can apparate on school grounds."  
"What does he bloody think he's doing!?!" Sirius yelled. "Stupid Slytherin!"  
Remus looked worried as well. If Severus somehow got past the school's protect wards, it meant that he could be arrested for breaking the law. "Maybe he figured out an invisibility spell," he skeptically suggested, all the while still believing that Severus managed to apparate.  
"Get off the field!" Sirius was still howling.  
Lily rolled her eyes. "Silencio," she murmured and with a flick of her wand, no words were audible from Sirius's mouth. He glared at her.  
By then, the rest of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff teams had rained down around Hayley and Severus. From Remus's view, a little shouting match occurred before several professors appeared and restrained the parties. The last thing that Remus saw before leaving with Sirius and Lily was Professor Figg dragging Severus towards the castle. The look on Professor Figg's face told him that she wasn't the least bit happy.  
  
~TBC~  
  
contact: bizquickie@yahoo.com 


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